A lustful septuagenarian, Kweku Ayer, popularly known as Teacher Ayer, who for seven years engaged in a secret love affair with his granddaughter, resulting in the birth of two children, has reportedly brought a curse on himself and his family.
His 22-year-old granddaughter, Awisi Ayer, died shortly after she had openly confessed her amorous relationship with her grandfather. Her eight-month-old child, the second issue of the illicit union, also died a month after her mother’s death.
This development has not only created panic among members of his immediate family but has also vindicated members of the Mensah Dawa community near Asesewa in the Upper Manya Krobo District, including his wife, who earlier suspected Teacher Ayer of having carnal knowledge of her granddaughter.
According to a source, Teacher Ayer, a retired pupil teacher, is married with 10 children and his grand-daughter, Awisi, a JSS graduate, who is at the centre of the abomination, was the daughter of his first-born, who is now domiciled in Cote d’Ivoire.
The source said Awisi’s father left for Cote d’ Ivoire when she was just eight years old. As a result, the source said, Awisi, who was living with her maternal family at Prampram, was brought to Mensah Dawa by her grandfather to stay with her paternal family.
The amorous relationship between Awisi and her grandfather came to the public domain when one of the grandchildren of Teacher Ayer reported to her grandmother that she had seen her grandfather shaving the pubic hair of Awisi in his room.
According to the source, Teacher Ayer’s wife confronted her husband who denied the allegation. Not satisfied, the woman reported the case to the head of her husband’s family.
At the arbitration, the source said, the complainant could not produce any evidence to support her claim and this empowered Teacher Ayer to press for divorce unless his wife pacified him with a sheep and some bottles of Schnapps and akpeteshie, which the woman complied with.
Not long after this incident, the source said, Awisi got pregnant, and no matter what the family did to find out who was responsible, she would not name the man who made her pregnant.
The source said Awisi’s pregnancy became the subject of gossip in the community and Teacher Ayer summoned anybody who pointed accusing fingers at him before the elders of the town. The source added that dozens of such people were found guilty and had to compensate Teacher Ayer with either a sheep or bottles of akpeteshie or both.
According to the source, no sooner had the dust settled over Awisi’s first pregnancy than the second one occurred.
This, the source said, infuriated her maternal family from Prampram who came for her. Later on, the girl’s health started deteriorating and she returned to Mensah Dawa to be healed.
It was at the healing centre that the herbalist detected that Awisi needed to make some confessions because she had committed a taboo. Initially, the source said she was reluctant to spill the beans but as her condition worsened she revealed the sexual escapades she had had with her grandfather who, she said, was the father of her two children. She then pleaded with her grandmother to forgive her. After this declaration she died.
With this development, a report was made to the elders of the town, who instituted an arbitration. It was chaired by Dadematse Ehinakwa Kwesi. Teacher Ayer was fined six sheep, three to pacify Awisi’s maternal family, one each for the Dadematsemei, the Asafoatse, and his family.
His wife, the source said, demanded a refund of the sheep he took from her for maligning him. Teacher Ayer, it was learnt, provided three sheep at a go to enable the rites to be performed to pave the way for the burial of his granddaughter.
The source said barely one month after Awisi died her eight-month-old baby, who was entrusted to the care of Teacher Ayer, who fed, bathed and slept with the baby, died under strange circumstances on February 14.
The Mirror learnt that Teacher Ayer did not inform anybody about the baby’s death, which he claimed occurred in the night. He allegedly wrapped a piece of cloth around the dead baby and buried him in the backyard of his house.
The source explained that Teacher Ayer’s wife has not divorced him but that she no longer shares the same bed with him.
When this reporter asked why the family had not reported this incident to the police, a spokesperson said they did not want the case to drag because the police would waste their time and resources and, therefore, decided to deal with it at their level.
